Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Geno's Audiologist Appointment



Today at 11:00 am Geno had his audiologist appointment. We drove to Luzern and found our way to the Cantonal Hospital in Luzern by 10 am. Once parked, we walked up the hill to the hospital. I must say that I truly surprised myself with my ability to navigate myself through the hospital/deciphering German along the way.

Once checked in, we sat and waited while Geno read, played with puzzles, and colored. The first audiologist brought Geno and I into a room with speakers positioned on each side of a chair. She asked that I sit in the middle and hold him remaining very still. She was going to play certain sounds such as dogs barking, phones ringing, violins playing and see if he turns toward the sound.

After this test, she inserted what appeared to be some sort of a hearing aid thing attached to headphones. One headphone went on one ear and the insert in the other. Now Geno is extremely afraid of anything unfamiliar, so it took me holding him down tightly, for the woman to get the equipment on him. It seemed as if they were testing the vibrations of the eardrum because it would draw out lines like one would see on a polygraph test. When done there, she asked for us to go into the waiting room where Dr. Opperheimer would come and get us for another series of tests.

Once Doctor Opperheimer came and got us, we went into the room and had Geno sit in the chair while they put a flashlight/metal thing in his ear to check the ear canal and ear drum. After this, they hooked Geno up to another headphone hearing aid contraption that was connected to a computer which looked like they were again looking at the vibrations of the ear drum. Once this was completed, the doctor stated to me that Geno's hearing is absolutely fine and that his speech delay is developmental. I now wait until April where we will have our first speech therapy appointment.

Afterwards, I brought my parents to Zugerland where they had lunch at the Migros cafeteria and then did some shopping.

No comments: